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Topic: Anyone ever towed a Rav4? (Read 29386 times)

I've got a 2001 manual Rav4. I want to tow it behind the rig I can barely drive now, "just in case" I might need it, and for of course, in town adventures later. Does anyone know how you can safely tow this type of vehicle?

I've been towing a 2002 RAV4 for several years, and except for the steeper hills, wouldn't know it was back there if I couldn't see it on the rear view monitor. I've just finished stripping all of the tow gear from the 2002 in preparation for installing everything on our 2011 RAV4. The 2011 uses a different base plate, but everything else will move right over.

Follow the instructions in the owner's manual for towing 4 down and you'll not have any problems. The occasions of transmission failure are rare and are almost always due to a failure to follow the proper procedure when setting up for towing. We have towed 3 different vehicles for over 130,000 miles and have never had a transmission problem, as have thousands of other RVers.

As Ned said, set it up properly for towing and you won't have any problems. Your standard transmission will be just fine being towed in neutral. The automatic transmissions used in the RAV4's are a different story though, and cannot be towed four down unless an electric pump made for the purpose, is added to circulate the fluid. You do need to have a base plate installed for connecting the tow bar, along with added wiring to connect the RAV's brake, tail, and directional lights to the motorhome's lights. I also highly recommend an auxiliary brake system be installed. I use a ReadyBrute towbar system that includes an integrated brake system, with a base plate from Blue Ox.

I thought the manual transmission with 4 wheel drive had a regular manual transfer case. 4WD is NOT the same as AWD! From what I can find online, in 2001 the Rav4 manual transmission has a locking center differential which the driver controlled. Not the electronic controlled all wheel drive system that managed the power transfer between front and rear axles on it s own, as in the automatic with AWD.

Both of my automatic RAV4's are labeled "4WD". The 2011 has a "Lock" switch for the center differential that disengages above 25 MPH, but my 2002 doesn't have that. I don't think the 2001 standard 4WD or AWD has a neutral position transfer case.

I'm just trying to find a way to tow this 01 Rav4 AWD (which weighs 3104).......so I found myself a car hauler at a decent price and now some guy is saying that it will be too much weight to pull behind my RV. So now I'm running around my lovely online numbers to find out how much weight I can pull. (talk about pissing me off) So I called Skyline and they said they only made the box. Then they sent me to the Chassis maker (Chevy).....and I called them and they don't even have my VIN on file anymore cause it's so old. So they did some looking into it and the GVWR is 23501-26000, so my question is what is the weight on the dang box lol. I'm going in circles. I don't think this should be that hard. I only want to tow my car in the case my RV goes out. I feel like brick walls are needing to be torn down like yesterday......and I'm going to be tearing big time. Don't worry guys, you aren't the only ones racking your brains on this one, and I do appreciate all your help.

What year/make/model coach are we talking about? None of the older Chevy chassis have a GVWR anywhere near 23,000 lbs. 17,000 would be closer. Even the newer Workhorse chassis is normally 22,000 lbs.

GVWR isn't the only data you need - you also need GCWR (see the RV Forum Glossary for help) and the actual weight. Then you need to learn the hitch rating as well. No standard Chevy motorhome chassis before about 2000 has a tow rating over 5000 lbs and most are either 3500 or 4000. Odds are heavy that a trailer plus the car will be more than your coach can handle.

Really unfortunate your continuing to have so many problems, seriously sounding similar to that movie a number of years ago... The Money Pit. There is also something else that comes to mind called the 'Sunk Fallacy'. At some point maybe your going to seriously pause and consider if this RV is going to be manageable for you. Best of luck, hopefully you can get this all worked out.

There is no way the GVWR of that G30 is any where close to 23500. I don't have the specs for a G30 but I do have them for a P30 (thats the class A frame) and a 137in wheelbase P30 has a GVWR of 12,300 If you go a 178 in wheelbase you go to a GVWR of 16500.

The max GCWR of a P30 is 21,000.

Who ever gave you those numbers just made them up or took them from whatever he could find when he could not identify the ones for your G30.

Ok the hauler weighs 1500. My car weighs 3104. I think I'm within the 5000 lb towing capacity at 4604. I think the man upstairs is on my side on this one. I'll let you all know how it all turns out.......so far so good, even though I'm getting negativity on every board I'm posting on....(which can be kind of intimidating)...I'm pushing through.

I think I have read all of your threads. I sympathise and hope you get the thing where it is usable.

But, some facts of life.

The thing is 30 years old. That classfies for antique plates in most states. Here in Az you could license it as a historic vehicle.

Because of that parts, parts list and shop manuals have long disappeared except for generic RV parts.Most RV dealers don't want to have to deal with that and prefer that you take it to some small shop and let them try and work out the problems.

RV's use a lot of plastic and by its nature plastic gets brittle with age and just seems to turn to a pile of chips when stressed. Driving the RV stresses the plastic.

My current RV is 12 years old and I have the same problems. Everytime I drive it or get ready to use it something is broke. Cabinet latches, switches, and plumbing parts just fail. Fortunately I have turned wrenches on everything from bicycles to helicopters so I can usually fix it.

My current problem is awnings. They just seem to turn to threads everytime I role one out.

You are going to have the same problem with a car hauler when and if you get it. Tires, lights and brakes are going to be in a constant state of broke.

I think you are pushing your luck well beyond the envelope. There is almost no chance that a 1982 Skyline Jamme II has a tow capacity of 5000 lbs and you have no data that remotely suggests that it does. There is a very real chance that a 4500+ lb trailer load will break the hitch receiver away from the chassis, or that you will suffer a transmission or driveshaft/universal failure if towing very far. In my opinion you are letting your wishes overrule good sense.

Curb weight of a Toyota Rav4 2001 is actually less than I thought, it's 2887. So if you add that to 1500 (tongue weight maximum of 155lbs) it's 4387. Well below 5000 lbs. If a 1 ton pickup truck can't tow that then what's the reason for making them?

I'll look now into the 4 down but I've done a lot of research and found major horror stories of Tranny's going out and not being covered by Toyota. Being my vehicle is no longer under warranty I'd rather not chance it (unless I got them recorded saying that it's fine). I even contacted Remco, la towing experts and they recommended 4 up over 4 down. I also asked them about towing my car behind my motorhome....they said it shouldn't be a problem. I didn't give them GVWR or any of that.

I even know that my motorhome was number 111, 337 in production So I'm learning. And yes I'm listening to all of you...I'm not just discounting your expert seasoned advice.

I called Toyota Directly, and they said NO you cannot tow a 2001 Rav4, it has to have all 4 off the ground. So luckily I still got the car hauler. Now I'm on the phone with Chevy to find out what the towing capacity is to my year make and model.....someone has to give me some correct information. They said I should be fine towing the amount I stated....just now need to make it feasible to work with breaks on the trailer..

CGVWR (combined gross vehicle weight rating) This is what the motor home weights PLUS what it can tow safely according to the manufacturer.GVWR (What the motor home weights by itself, fully loaded with water/propane and all your stuff) The way to get the true weight is to have it weighted at a scale.

When you subtract the GVWR from the CGVWR that is the true number you are working with and the number you need to find. As long as that number is greater or equal to what you want to tow, you should be fine. HOWEVER, many hitches on gas engine motor homes are rated for only 3500-4000 lbs. If you go over that weight, you will have to replace your hitch with one that can handle more weight.

The reason we (especially the staff here) continually preach checking your numbers is because it does make a difference in how the motor home handles and wears. If your numbers work out that you can pull a trailer with the RAVA4 on it, you most assuredly need a braking system. Another reason we are so emphatic on running the numbers is that the lawyers in an accident, whether you are responsible or not, will check to make sure you and all your equipment are correct and did not add to the accident.

FWIW, when I began pulling horse trailers I drove a Ford 150 gas truck and pulled a heavy load of horses, equipment and feed. Within 2 years, I ran through 2 sets of brakes, and a transmission all because I thought I knew better than all the other horse people telling me I would have trouble. It cost me 2 trucks, the F150 and the new Chevy 3500 1ton I bought 2 years later.

Marsha!!! No one ever mentioned CGVWR to me! I am in love with ya and I don't even know ya . I've been looking for this information all day. I do know my trailer+car equals 4387, that's below the 5000 lb tow capacity for a Chevy G30. Trust me I don't want to run into trouble at all which is why I'm going over everything I can. Now to get my rig weighed dry. I'm already on top of installing the break stuff that is needed to work the breaks on the trailer. Now I'm off to find the info on CGVWR......that's what I need to find and I think once I get my motorhome back I'll figure it out fast. TY again. Wonderful info!

Tom, in the horse world they use CGVWR, so I reverted to my old horse days. As long as people realize they need to know how to calculate the numbers; and what to calculate.

lvlyfun, Don't weight the motor home "dry", you need to load it up with your stuff, water food etc. The dry weight that is given by the manufacturers does not reflect what you will have in the motor home.